Receptacle supporting device



Jan. 31, 1967 H. G. YETTER ETAL 3,301,518

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Filed AMarch 4, 1965 United States Patent O 3,301,518 RECEPTACLE SUPIGRTING DEVICE Harry G. Yetter and Joseph H. Whalen, both of Colchester, Ill. 62326 Filed Mar. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 437,196 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-311) This invention relates to improvements in receptacle supporting devices, more particularly to a device including a novel and advantageous form of interlockable bracket and support therefor.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a supporting device which is advantageous for use in receiving and detachably supporting a receptacle and/or other articles from and upon various kinds or types of supporting bodies affording only restricted carrying or receiving area-.s or space, such, for example, as tractors, wherein substantially all space thereon is occupied by levers, pedals or other controls, thus prohibiting the accommodation or reception of extraneous articles.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a supporting device wherein the article carried attaching bracket and the body mounted supporting bracket will, upon engagement of the former with the latter, be automatically and securely interlocked, but which, when desired, can be easily and quickly separated to permit removal of the bracket provided article.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting device which, when the article carried bracket is engaged in and interlocked with the body mounted supporting bracket, will not only be assured firm and positive support, but will be prevented from being accidentally or unwantedly disengaged therefrom, by reason of jostling or vibration, normal or otherwise.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my improved supporting device as applied to a container, of which a fragment is illustrated, the supporting and article carried brackets being shown interlockingly engaged.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the interengaged supporting device components and a portion of the article attached band for mounting the article carried bracket.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the article carried bracket.

FIGURE 4 is a similar view of the normally outer side of the supporting bracket.

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal fragmentary section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction in which the arrows point;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a section similar to FIGURE 5 in which the supporting device is formed straight, rather than curved or arcuate, in order that its components may be attached to a flat supporting surface and a like surface to-be supported article and;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further modified form of the invention, wherein ears or lugs are provided on and to the upper marginal portion of the supporting bracket for securing engagement with adjacent portions of the article carried bracket.

Referring in detail to the drawings, particularly to that form of the invention illustrated by the FIGURES l-7, the invention generally comprises a supporting bracket and an article attached and carried bracket 1 and 2, respectively.

The supporting bracket 1 is adapted to be attached directly to a supporting body 1', i.e., to a convenient and space available portion thereof, as for example, a tractor, while the article carried bracket 2 is attached to a band 3 ICC fixedly mounted on or connected to the to-be supported article, such as a Water or beverage jug 4, etc. It will, however, be appreciated that the article carried bracket can be directly mounted on or attached to the to-be supported article, as desired or required, without in any manner departing from the spirit or scope of our invention.

The article carried bracket 2 is adapted to be detachably received by and interlockingly engaged with the supporting bracket 1 for firm and positive support thereby. To Such accomplishment, said supporting bracket 1 consists of a single piece substantially rectangularly shaped sheet-like plate of metal or other suitable material, the body portion 1a of which may be of arcuate shape with the opposite end portions thereof formed or otherwise provided with angularly shaped flanges 5, whose free and outwardly disposed sides are flatly or flushly engageable with the receiving and supporting body 1 and xedly connected thereto as at 6 (see FIGURE 5). In such mounted position and relation, it will be noted that the bracket body portion is spaced from the supporting body, the purpose of which will be hereinafter apparent.

Said bracket body portion is preferably, though not necessarily, inwardly flanged along its upper and lower sides, as at 7 and 8, for reinforcement.

Upwardly disposed complemental fingers 9 and 10 are struck outwardly from the supporting bracket body portion 1a, the fingers 9 being horizontally aligned and in proximity to its upper marginal side and the finger 10 being positioned intermediately thereof in proximity to its lower marginal side.

A spring latch 11 having an intermediately arranged outwardly and right angularly disposed tongue 11 is xedly connected at one of its ends to the right angularly disposed side of one of the fianges 5, as at 12, and is disposed longitudinally and medially of the body portion 1a between the fingers 9 and 1f) with its remaining and free end extended through an opening 11a of appropriate shape and size in the corresponding side of the remaining ange, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The article carried bracket 2 consists, as does the bracket 1, of a single piece substantially rectangularly shaped sheet-like plate of metal or other suitable material whose body portion 2a (see FIGURES 1 and 5) is arcuate with its end portions 13 inwardly offset and ilushly and fxedly connected to the heretofore described article mounted band 3.

Relatively longitudinally spaced horizontally aligned complementally shaped and sized openings 14 and an intermediately located longitudinally disposed slot 15 are formed in the article carried bracket body portion 2a. These openings and slot are so positioned that they will, respectively, permit engagement of the fingers 9 and the latch arm tongue 11 therethrough for secure interlocked, though detachable, mounting of the bracket 2 on the bracket 1. Also, because of the location or positioning of the remaining and lower openings in said body portion of the article carrying bracket, it will be seen, upon reference to FIGURES 1, 6 and 7 of the drawings, that the finger 10 will have engagement (overlapping) with the adjacent lower side of said body portion. Thereby, the article 4 (beverage jug) will be supported on the supporting or receiving body 1 in the manner illustrated by the immediately aforesaid figures of the drawings.

To remove the article 4, the extended free end of the spring latch arm 11 is engaged and the arm ilexed outwardly, withdrawing the tongue 11 from the slot 15 in the article carried bracket 1. Thereupon, the article 4 may be freely lifted and so disengaged from the lingers 9 and 10 of the supporting bracket`2.

If desired, the supporting bracket 1 and the article carried bracket 2 may be formed straight instead of arcuate,

as shown in FIGURE 8 of the drawings, being otherwise of the same construction and form.

In FIGURE 9 of the drawings, I have shown a slightly modified form of my invention. Therein, the upper marginal portion of the article carried bracket 2b is formed or otherwise provided with spaced and downwardly extending ngers or lugs i6, Whose free portions lie in substantially parallel spaced relation to its normally outer face. When the article carrying bracket 2b is interlocked with the supporting bracket 1b, said fingers or lugs are engaged over and with adjacent lower side portions of the latter. Thereby, a firmer and surer interengagement between said brackets is effected, to the extent that the possibility of outward movement of the article carried bracket with relation to the support bracket will be substantially eliminated. Furthermore, the spring latch arm 11 with its tongue 1l engaged through the slot i5 in said article carried bracket will maintain its interlocking engagement with the supporting bracket, primarily by preventing vertical movement or shifting thereof until such time as the latch arm is purposely disengaged.

As hereinafter briefiy stated, our improved receptacle supporting device is not limited for use in detachably supporting a jug of the type indicated by the reference numeral 4. Contrariwise, it may be advantageously and beneficially used for detachably supporting various forms and kinds of receptacles on or from a supporting body or member.

We claim:

1. An article supporting device, including:

(a) a supporting bracket and an article attachable bracket;

(b) the supporting bracket comprising a plate provided on its opposite ends with substantially crosssectionally L-shaped mounting flanges the outer sides of which are disposed outwardly and connectable with a support surface whereby the plate spaced outwardly therefrom;

(c) said plate having spaced horizontally aligned outwardly disposed angular fingers on its normally upper portion and an outwardly disposed angular finger thereon below and intermediately of the first mentioned fingers;

(d) a spring latch affixed at one end to the inner side of one of said L-shaped mounting flanges disposed longitudinally of and adjacent the inner side of the supporting bracket plate and extended through an opening formed in the inner side of the opposite mounting fiange;

(e) said latch havi-ng an outwardly disposed tongue on an intermediate portion thereof, an opening in the plate member through which said tongue projects;

(f) the article attachable bracket comprising a plate of depth less than that of the supporting bracket plate having spaced horizontally aligned openings therein to receive said horizontally aligned fingers of the supporting bracket plate therethrough and therewith, and an opening therein intermediately of the spaced horizontally aligned openings, of shape and size to snugly receive the spring latch tongue therethrough, the lower edge portion of said article attachable plate being engaged by said intermediate angular finger on said supporting bracket plate.

2. An article supporting device according to claim 1 wherein spaced downwardly disposed angular fingers are Carried on the normally upper side of the article attachable bracket for engagement over and with the upper side of the supporting bracket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,353,103 9/1920 Welcker 248-223 1,788,464 1/1931 Kederis et al. 24S-313 X 1,806,560 5/1931 McKinley 248-313 2,277,738 3/1942 Wilkinson 248-224 X 2,369,336 2/1945 Cable 24S- 223 2,897,928 S/1959 Selig 24S- 224 X 3,055,462 9/1962 Steele 189-36 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner'. 

1. AN ARTICLE SUPPORTING DEVICE, INCLUDING: (A) A SUPPORTING BRACKET AND AN ARTICLE ATTACHABLE BRACKET; (B) THE SUPPORTING BRACKET COMPRISING A PLATE PROVIDED ON ITS OPPOSITE ENDS WITH SUBSTANTIALLY CROSSSECTIONALLY L-SHAPED MOUNTING FLANGES THE OUTER SIDES OF WHICH ARE DISPOSED OUTWARDLY AND CONNECTABLE WITH A SUPPORT SURFACE WHEREBY THE PLATE SPACED OUTWARDLY THEREFROM; (C) SAID PLATE HAVING SPACED HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED OUTWARDLY DISPOSED ANGULAR FINGERS ON ITS NORMALLY UPPER PORTION AND AN OUTWARDLY DISPOSED ANGULAR FINGER THEREON BELOW AND INTERMEDIATELY OF THE FIRST MENTIONED FINGERS; (D) A SPRING LATCH AFFIXED AT ONE END TO THE INNER SIDE OF ONE OF SAID L-SHAPED MOUNTING FLANGES DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY OF AND ADJACENT THE INNER SIDE OF THE SUPPORTING BRACKET PLATE AND EXTENDED THROUGH AN OPENING FORMED IN THE INNER SIDE OF THE OPPOSITE MOUNTING FLANGE; (E) SAID LATCH HAVING AN OUTWARDLY DISPOSED TONGUE ON AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, AN OPENING IN THE PLATE MEMBER THROUGH WHICH SAID TONGUE PROJECTS; (F) THE ARTICLE ATTACHABLE BRACKET COMPRISING A PLATE OF DEPTH LESS THAN THAT OF THE SUPPORTING BRACKET PLATE HAVING SPACED HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED OPENINGS THEREIN TO RECEIVE SAID HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED FINGERS OF THE SUPPORTING BRACKET PLATE THERETHROUGH AND THEREWITH, AND AN OPENING THEREIN INTERMEDIATELY OF THE SPACED HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED OPENINGS, OF SHAPE AND SIZE TO SNUGLY RECEIVE THE SPRING LATCH TONGUE THERETHROUGH, THE LOWER EDGE PORTION OF SAID ARTICLE ATTACHABLE PLATE BEING ENGAGED BY SAID INTERMEDIATE ANGULAR FINGER ON SAID SUPPORTING BRACKET PLATE. 